PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The day after the Yankees solidified Francisco Cervelli’s place on their Opening Day roster, he delivered a promising defense performance, throwing out a pair of baserunners in a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay.

He’s shown enough this spring for manager Joe Girardi to indicate it’s "fair to say" Cervelli will be on the roster on April 1 against Boston.

The Yankees demoted Austin Romine on Monday afternoon, leaving Cervelli and Chris Stewart as the two men still standing in the team’s catching competition.

Of course, Cervelli knows his space is not guaranteed. After all, he watched as the team traded for Stewart a few days before the season began in 2012.

Cervelli said he will always be on edge until the roster is set. But his performance has been encouraging thus far. The team can live with meager hitting, so long as its catching duo plays proper defense.

After last season, Cervelli strove to reduce his harried behavior behind the plate. He felt he rushed to make plays. Cervelli credited his sessions with manager Joe Girardi and former Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu, now a member of the team’s scouting staff. The work paid off on Tuesday.

"I feel good," Cervelli said. "Had a couple good ones today. I’ve been working every day. I feel more relaxed behind the plate."

To Girardi, Cervelli appears calmer this season. His receiving will be critical for the team this season.

"He developed a few funny habits, and he broke those," Girardi said. "He worked hard to break them."

• Derek Jeter is scheduled to play shortstop for the first time this spring on Wednesday against the Phillies. Girardi intends to let Jeter play for four to five innings.

Francisco had requested his release from the Cleveland Indians in order to seize an opportunity with the Yankees.

Francisco understands he has a limited amount of time to make an impression. But he does not believe that will deter him.

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"I feel like (the Yankees) know me pretty well," he said. "I played against them the last few years. I think they’re familiar with me. But I have enough time to go out there and play. Hopefully play well enough to win a job."

Meanwhile, Girardi issued something resembling a challenge to struggling veterans like Matt Diaz (batting .190, with zero extra-base hits) and Dan Johnson (batting .056), both of whom are trying to grab one of the final roster spots. "At-bats are important this time of year," Girardi said.

• General manager Brian Cashman indicated the club has not reached out to Aubrey Huff, a veteran with experience in both the infield and outfield. Huff played in just 52 games for San Francisco last season, and finished with a .608 on-base plus slugging percentage. Unlike Derrek Lee and Scott Rolen, Huff has not been worthy of a phone call.